Columbia Completes Ivy League Return to Mandatory SAT/ACT for 2027-28

Columbia University has announced it will reinstate standardized testing requirements for undergraduate applicants, becoming the final Ivy League institution to end its test-optional policy (Higher Ed Dive, August 2026). The university will require SAT or ACT scores beginning in August 2027 for students applying in the 2027-28 admissions cycle, completing a full-circle return to pre-pandemic testing mandates across the entire Ivy League.

According to the announcement, Columbia College and the School of Engineering will mandate test submissions, though the university will remain test-optional for the current 2026-27 admissions cycle. This move follows similar reinstatements by other Ivies, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Dartmouth, which had already announced their returns to required testing in recent years. The policy shift represents a significant reversal from the widespread test-optional approaches adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly at elite institutions that were among the last holdouts.

The Columbia decision comes amid a broader trend of selective universities reinstating testing requirements. Johns Hopkins University recently announced it will resume requiring ACT or SAT scores for undergraduate admissions to the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Whiting School of Engineering (Compass Prep). Multiple sources indicate that "the majority of top-tier universities are reinstating mandatory standardized testing" for the 2026-2027 application season and beyond, with some observers predicting that "every Ivy League school will require scores by 2027-28" (MentoMind, Pathivy). This collective policy shift by the most selective institutions creates new strategic considerations for high-achieving applicants targeting elite universities.